The present application relates to an IC chip, an information processing apparatus, system, method, and program.
In recent years, information processing apparatuses such as a portable telephone including an IC chip having tamper resistant properties (hereinafter referred to as “secure chip”) have come into widespread use. A user can communicate data by simply passing such information processing apparatus over a reader/writer, for example. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus is extremely convenient. For example, when this information processing apparatus is applied to an electronic money system, the user can immediately make payment at a store and the like by simply passing the information processing apparatus over the reader/writer.
Information stored in a nonvolatile memory of a secure chip is protected by means of encryption. Therefore, it is difficult to tamper with the information. However, if any application is allowed to freely use the secure chip in the information processing apparatus, there is a possibility that the application may use the security chip without the user being aware of it and the application may execute a command for temporarily halting the use of the security chip on its own, which cause issues in terms of security.
In order to overcome the issue, an information processing apparatus having an ordinary secure chip usually has a mechanism for preventing an application from directly operating the secure chip when the application uses the secure chip. More specifically, when the application operates the secure chip, the mechanism forces the application to operate the secure chip by way of a predetermined secure chip control module at all times. The secure chip control module restricts commands of the secure chip that can be executed by the application, thus preventing abuse.